I trace the roots of our dance in the great culture that existed during the Indus Valley Civilization of Mohenjodaro. The origin and evolution of dance can be seen in the process of collective labor activity! As a collective working process required a coordinated working rhythm, various folk dances came into being-the sowing dance, the harvest dance, the Bhangra, the Jhoomer.
Human being celebrated by dancing, they gained courage by dancing and often courted with the help of dance. From these forms emerged classical dancing as we know it today. This involved centuries of refinement, sophistication, and generations of dedicated work. In classical dancing, we find a synthesis of accumulated human discovery of rhythm, movement and forms.
My concern in the last many years has been to evolve a characteristic style, which we in Pakistan can call our own, a dance form which is alive and dynamic, contemporary and relevant. It should be able to harmonies the physical, intellectual, emotional, and spiritual dimensions of life, have the power to touch and communicate at all levels, as well as to transcend and transform by its magical language. I want my dancers and my audience to experience this moment of freedom, to soar and to fly.
Joining the " National Performing Arts Group " is for me a path in my search and exploration of strengthening and enhancing the art forms that I understand, so that we can evolve a style of our own. It is part of an inward journey, a search for the truth.

~~~~ The Dancers ~~~~

~~~~ The Orchestra ~~~~

This dance is performed at marriage ceremonies and other festive occasions. In the dark of the night, girls dance with candles precariously balanced on the palm of their hands. The play of light and shadow is sheer magic.

Inspired by ancient nocturmal melodies, surtaal is danced to a cycle of unusual rhythmic patterns that change constantly. While the foot movements are synchronised with the beat of the tabla, the hand movements follow the melody. The dance ends to the strain of the late night rangi, "Sohni".

The pedlar is a familier sight in the village of Pakistan. He travels from place to place, hawking colourful, inexpensive trinkets to the village maidens and occasionally becomes their confidant. The girls delight in teasing the pedlar. A proverbal crown, no matter how hard he tries, he always ends up the loser in the battle of wits with his attractive adversaries.

Man is not alone in his desire to celebrate through dance; birds and animals too revel in the art of movement. The peacock spreads out its beautiful plumage and dances to the rhythm of the rain in ecstasy.

Immortalized by Rudyard Kipling and other British authors who wrote about the sub-continent, the snake charmer has long been part of the country's landscape. This duet follows the intricate ritual of charming a snake into submission by playing the Been, a wind instrument not unlike the Flute, which has been used by the wandering snake charmers for hundreds of years to lure and entrap snakes.

Boys and girls from rural Pakistan often work together in the fields to reap the season's harvest. This celebration is recreated in a folk dance performed to indigenous folk music.

When the cotton crop is in full bloom, the countryside of Pakistan comes alive with the sight of cotton pickers in their colourful costumes. The dance captures the cotton pickers in action, as the drummer dances around the girls beating time and urging them on.

The season of Basant (arrival of spring) is a time of hope and pleasure. Basant is welcomed by the prople who play kites in the sky, sings and dance with each other in a celebration of festivity and joy.

The Sindhi Jhoomer dance is performed by village girls to celebrate a good harvest. Dressed in their swirling full skirted costumers and silver jewellery they are joined by boys who sing a popular song 'Hojamalo'.

From the soil of the Tharparkar district in Sindh comes the Dandia (stick) dance. Boys and girls with lacquered sticks in hand swing to the beat of the drum and produce an interesting mix of rhythms as they clap their sticks together.

This dance is from Sindh performed to Ho-jamalo, one of the most popular folk songs of Pakistan. It celebrates the gallantry of the 18th century warrior, "Jamal Khan Rind", who defended his homeland from foreign invaders. Tales of his courage spread from village to village. The song describes Jamalo as ten feet tall with flashing red eyes.

This is danced with hand clapping, based on varying ehythmic patterns, gradually mounting to a crescendo, The Do-Chapi dance is typical of the rugged Baluchis, and generally performed by men in the interior of Baluchistan.

The traditional Leva danced by men is a common feature at weddings and other happy occasions in the tribal society of the Baluchis. This dance has a hypnotic beat and an evocative rhythm.

A hardy and cheerful people, the fishermen from the coast of Makran in Baluchistan set out in their boats before sunrise and return home at sunset with a rich haul. This dance captures the rhythm of the fishermen's life.

Typical of the colour and vigour of the Punjab, the Bhangra is rooted in the soil. Spurred on by the beat of the drum, and the rhythm of the 'Chimta'(a pair of tongs used to rake coals), girl and boys dance with abandon, secure in the knowledge that the harvest is good.

A popular feature of wedding celebrations in Pakistan is the Luddi danced by women friends and family members of the bride. This dance originated in the Punjab but has now become an integral part of weddings throughout Pakistan.

The Khattak dance from the mountainous terrain of the legendry Khyber Pass is performed by an all male group of hardy tribesmen. It celebrates the valour of the Pakhtoons who successfully resisted attempts to subjugate them and colonise their land. One of the most powerful of the regional dances, Khattak requires great stamina and vigour.

In the north of Pakistan lies the mountain-locked valley of Hunza, a veritable paradise on earth. The beautiful girls enjoy the outdoors, the lush green of the valley, the chill in the air, as they come together to perform this simpledance to the accompainment of a flute and a drum.

In the extereme north western region of Pakistan, where the mountains meet the sky in the Kalash Valley inhabited by peo[ple believed to have decended from the warriors of Alexander the Great. The area remained inaccessible to the outside world for centuries and has retained its pagan purity even today. The Kalash dance depicts the prople's Closeness to nature, which is an inherent quality of their life. The attractive head gear of the girls, decorated with courie shells, supported a theory that the valley was once covered by the sea.